Raheem Sterling: Manchester City star left ‘fuming’ after England captaincy gaffe from PR company

Raheem Sterling: Manchester City star left ‘fuming’ after England captaincy gaffe from PR company
Raheem Sterling woke up ‘fuming’ after a PR company connected to him claimed he would captain England in their Nations League semi-final against Holland on Thursday night.A press release, issued on behalf of Colossal Sports Management, circulated late on Tuesday evening which suggested the Manchester City forward would lead out the Three Lions to mark the occasion of his 50th cap.Getty Images - Getty2

Raheem Sterling was left ‘fuming’ after a PR company connected to his management team declared he’d be captaining England against Holland

There was no official confirmation from the Football Association at the time, while manager Gareth Southgate remained tight-lipped over who would wear the armband when he addressed the media on the eve of the Holland clash.The press release, drafted by Purple PR, read: “The Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year is set to wear the Captain’s armband for England’s UEFA Nations League semi-final fixture against The Netherlands in Portugal, on Thursday evening, 6th June.”England vs Netherlands: kick off time and live commentaryGetty Images - Getty2

Gareth Southgate refused to answer who would captain his Three Lions side on Thursday evening

But Sterling insisted he knew nothing of the release and had not spoken to anyone, including Southgate, before Tuesday evening – revealing he ‘apologised’ to the England boss when he realised what had happened.“I couldn’t tell you that,” Sterling replied when asked what had prompted the release.“I woke up this morning fuming. I hadn’t had a conversation with Gareth or anyone in my agency, so it was a strange one to wake up to.“The first thing I did after I came off the phone to my agent was see Gareth down the hallway, and I apologised to him for what had happened. I don’t know where that’s come from.”  Southgate would not be drawn on who would captain his side in Guimaraes, given there are fitness concerns over regular skipper Harry Kane.The Tottenham forward appeared jaded as he made his first start for seven weeks in Saturday’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool.Southgate refused to rule Kane out of the contest against the Dutch and would not give away any of his team selection in advance so as not to give Holland boss Ronald Koeman an advantage.“If I confirm anything about the team other than that Raheem is playing, I’m doing half of Ronald’s job for him,” he said.

LIVE ON talkSPORT

talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2...

• Netherlands vs England (Thursday, 7:45pm) talkSPORT
• France vs South Korea (Friday, 8pm) talkSPORT
• Denmark vs Republic of Ireland (Friday, 7:45pm) talkSPORT 2
• Croatia vs Wales (Saturday, 2pm) talkSPORT
• England vs Scotland (Sunday, 5pm) talkSPORT

“I don’t want to discuss the captaincy. Harry Kane is our captain. If he doesn’t play, then I have a decision to make. I’m not prepared to say whether Harry Kane is playing tomorrow.”While the decision is Southgate’s to make, Sterling – who will collect his 50th cap at the age of 24 – said he would be proud to captain his country at some point.“That’s something that’s down to the manager, not for me to decide,” he said.“But if the manager did do that, it’s something I’d be proud and happy to do for sure. That’s up to the manager.”

---

Football fans are known for showing unwavering commitment in backing their heroes - and Premier League clubs travelled a total of 57,000 miles to away matches across the 2014-15 season.
Every Premier League Club's Player of the 2018/19 Season

---

Manchester United transfer news: Benfica goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos lined up as possible David De Gea replacement De Gea has one season left on his Old Trafford contract and the Red Devils
Benfica goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos lined up as possible

---

Arsenal news: Mesut Ozil should retire if he can't get in Gunners starting XI, Paul Merson jokes Written by: fpnews Posted on: February 16, 2019 Paul Merson has joked that Mesut Ozil might as well retire if he can't get into this current Arsenal team.
Paul Merson: Mesut Ozil should retire if he can't get Arsenal

---

Manchester United defender Phil Jones has signed a new contract, the club have confirmed. The England centre-back has signed a new deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until at least 2023 with
Phil Jones signs new contract with Manchester United

---

Departing PFA chairman Ben Purkiss tells talkSPORT: 'I NEVER

---

Paul Ince wants Manchester United to appoint Steve Bruce as caretaker manager instead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Mourinho was relived of his duties at Old Trafford on Tuesday after the club fell 19 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho sacked: Steve Bruce should be next Man Utd boss

---

Declan Rice: West Ham to wait until end of season to renew

---

Alfredo Morelos scored twice but was sent off in Rangers' win over Aberdeen A clumsy coming-together with Scott McKenna saw both players shown a red It is the third red card against Aberdeen THIS
Aberdeen vs Rangers Betting Tips: Latest odds, team news

---

Report Ad
Grab top tickets with us now so you can relax and kick your feet up later. Convenient cancellation up to 24 hours before your event — no questions asked.

---

Watford's new home kit? Leaked images of rumoured half and

---

Aaron Ramsey 'feels all Arsenal', says Unai Emery after Juventus-bound midfielder scores against Napoli The Welshman opened the scoring in a 2-0 Europa League quarter-final first leg win on
Aaron Ramsey 'feels all Arsenal', says Unai Emery after
fussboll.com/2019/04/12/aaron-ramsey-feels-all-arsenal-says-unai-emery-after-juventus-bound-midfielder-scores-against-napoli/
Juventus-bound midfielder Aaron Ramsey 'feels all Arsenal', says Unai Emery. The Arsenal manager was speaking after watching the player score in the club's 2-0 Europa League quarter-final first leg win over Napoli on Thursday.
Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey Rejected Unai Emery's Advice Before

---

Real Madrid: Marcelo's time could be up as Santiago Solari places faith in Sergio Reguilon at left-back as youngster Sergio Reguilon has usurped him under new manager Santiago Solari. A
Real Madrid: Marcelo's fewest appearances in eleven seasons
sports-usa.net/2019/03/10/real-madrid-marcelos-fewest-appearances-in-eleven-seasons/
Real Madrid Just 13 out of a possible 26 Marcelo during training ahead of the match against Valladolid. ngel Rivero Marcelo could feature for Real Madrid against Real Valladolid for the first time since 17 February against Girona, a match which Los Blancos lost and marked the beginning of the crisis which culminated in the team's […]
Revealed: Marcelo's plan to find his way out of Real Madrid

---

Predicted Southampton XI to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League Southampton currently find themselves in a troublesome 15th place with just 22 points on board. They are up against a 14th
Manchester United team news: Predicted XI vs. Southampton

---